


The Near-Sighted Queen

by ShiTiger



Series: Avian-verse short stories [1]
Category: Angry Birds - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Avian-verse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:28:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29028705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShiTiger/pseuds/ShiTiger
Summary: Short story. Red and Leonard visit the market, where the king learns that his bride is still keeping secrets.
Relationships: Red/King Leonard Mudbeard (Angry Birds)
Series: Avian-verse short stories [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2129607
Kudos: 17





	The Near-Sighted Queen

**Author's Note:**

> Setting: Avian-verse. The pigs are regular humans, and the birds are an ancient avian race that have harpy-like features. Having a near-sighted Red didn’t really fit my other stories, but I loved the idea of it so much, I had to write it.

For as long as Red could remember, the world had been a blurred mesh of shapes and colors. His inability to see things clearly, unless they were right in front of his nose, had been just one more thing for the other younglings at school to tease him about. He had been referred to as, ‘Eyebrows,’ and ‘Squinty,’ and ‘no parents,’ for the majority of his youth. Thankfully, the judge hadn’t been so cruel on his official naming day. Not that ‘Red’ was much better, given that it referred entirely to the blood-like hue of his feathers. 

“Well, what do you think?” Leonard’s voice swept through his memories like a gust of fresh air. Red turned away from the nearly headache-inducing mess of colors to focus, as best he could, on the featherless man standing a few paces to his right. Even from that short distance away, the human’s form was blurred. He could make out the man’s forest-green shirt, as well as his brown pants, and boots. Leonard’s brown skin tone was a vivid contrast to Red’s own pale, and unpleasantly speckled, skin. 

“I love your freckles,” Leonard had announced during one of their lovemaking sessions. He’d happily pressed tiny kisses to each one, making the avian laugh — not that he’d ever admit it to anyone else. He had a reputation to uphold, after all. 

“It seems… busy,” Red grumbled aloud, crossing his wings over his chest. That was an understatement. He could hear the noise and bustle from where they stood, and it was sending a wave of uncertainty down his spine. 

“Sure is. But there’s lots to see, and even more to buy,” the king insisted cheerfully. 

“I don’t have any human money, Leonard,” the avian reminded him, frowning down at the ground. Why did the man even pick him for a mate? Lost and found hatchlings were loners by nature, and most were expected to settle down to a lifetime of moody solitude. Heck, back when he lived on the floating island, it had been a struggle just to keep a proper job for longer than a month. 

“Red.” The voice drew him out of his thoughts again, and the avian’s head snapped around to see Leonard standing close, his firm hand on his shoulder. 

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” the man insisted, gracing him with a genuine smile. “I’m the king. I have plenty of money. If you want anything, I’ll gladly buy it for you.”

With avians, a mated pair was expected to share the burdens of life. Child-rearing, work, friendships… it was something that they did as a pair. But now that Leonard and Red were mated, it felt like Leonard was doing all the work. Red wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Perhaps it was a human thing. And yet… part of him yearned to prove himself as a decent mate. If going to this  _ market  _ thing was going to make Leonard happy, then Red would deal with it. Even if he’d rather be back at their home, away from the overwhelming amount of people. 

“Okay,” the avian agreed, letting his mate lead him toward the colorful crowd in the distance. 

* * *

Leonard had thought that a visit to the market would make his lover happy. Sadly, it seemed to do the exact opposite. The crimson-feathered avian practically clung to his arm, squinting his eyes suspiciously at the stalls. 

“Why don’t we check out this vendor over here,” the king suggested, waving at the merchant that was selling a variety of baked goods. Red nodded, allowing Leonard to lead him to the right. 

“Fresh apple pies!” announced the hefty man behind the table. His smile brightened upon seeing the king. “Good morning, King Leonard. What can I do for you and your lovely bride today?” 

Leonard glanced away from his queen, having already caught sight of the way his crest of headfeathers rose in interest at the mention of apple pies. “We’ll take two of the apple pies,” the king said, digging into his satchel for a silver coin. As the baker began to slide the pies into a paper bag, Leonard turned to ask, “Would you like anything else, my dear?” 

The avian stretched out his free wing, but hesitated inches away from the pastries. Taking a deep breath, he whispered, “Peaches and…” Red’s nose scrunched adorably as he continued, “berries?” His golden eyes squinted at the tabletop, as if trying to pinpoint what he wanted. 

_ How curious, _ Leonard thought to himself. The more time he spent with the avian, the more little quirks he discovered. A thought flashed through his mind as he watched his bride lean forward for a closer look, while still retaining his feathered grip on the larger man’s arm. 

_ I see now… _ Leonard deliberately pulled his arm away, watching Red stumble in shock at the movement. Crimson wings immediately reached for him, even as the avian turned in confusion. “I just need to pay, my dear,” the king assured him. Turning his attention to the merchant, he ordered two of each pastry to be delivered to the castle. Once the transaction was complete, the bearded man began to stride off down the street. 

“Come on, Red! There’s still so much to see.” 

Glancing over his shoulder, the king watched his avian bride peer in his direction, his eyes squinting to pinpoint him.  _ Trust, _ Leonard thought sadly.  _ That is something we will have to work on together.  _ Taking pity on his lovely, but clearly near-sighted lover, he turned and stretched out his hand. Red grabbed it eagerly, his wingtips tightening to keep the other man from letting go. 

“Don’t worry, Red. I won’t ever let you get lost,” Leonard promised, pulling the other man’s wing to his lips. The avian blushed, his gaze darting away in embarrassment. 

“Come on. I have a surprise for you.” 

* * *

The human’s baritone voice had been nothing short of irritating when they’d first met. Granted, he had been furious at the damage done to his hut that day. And yet, as time passed, Leonard’s voice had become a soothing part of his life. 

“Here we are. What do you think?” 

Red jolted out of his thoughts, his cheeks immediately heating up at being caught unawares. A shiver of want crept up his spine at his lover’s deep voice, but the avian pushed it down. Now was not the time for his headfeathers to start rising in interest. He let his golden gaze follow Leonard’s hand as he pointed at the nearby tabletop. 

“Do you see anything you like?” 

Red bit his bottom lip to avoid the passive-aggressive remark that wanted to jump off his tongue. The words leapt back into his brain, where they snarked, ‘ _ Do you mean the blue blobby thingamajig, or the red whatchamacallit, or perhaps the rainbow of colored doohickeys on the table before us?’  _ “It’s all very nice,” Red answered aloud, but the words sounded hollow even to his earholes. “I mean… nothing has really caught my eye.” 

“Really? That’s a shame,” said Leonard. He plucked something off the table, and plopped it onto Red’s face. “What about these?” 

Red took a startled step back, his heart beginning to beat rapidly in shock and awe. “What magic is this?” he whispered, releasing his human mate to raise his wings to his face. The strange object was perched on his nose, and the long stalks on either side seemed to embrace his face to keep it from slipping off. The world around him had gone from a haze of shapes and colors to instant, crisp clear focus. 

Golden eyes peered through the strange glass, even as the sights and sounds of the market rushed into his mind. He could see the baker selling his apple pies, and the vegetable seller next to him. Everywhere he looked, some new and exciting thing was being lifted into the air for careful examination, and then an exchange of the hard coins that the humans used to pay for things. 

“Red?” 

His mate’s voice caught him by surprise, causing him to spin back around, nearly tumbling to the ground in his haste. Leonard grabbed him by the wing, his dark eyes filled with concern. “Are you quite alright, my dear?” the man asked, pulling him gently to his taloned feet. 

“I’m fine,” Red whispered. Even Leonard seemed, in that instant, more vivid and real than he had before. The avian couldn’t help but give him a good once-over, noting his dark skin, broad shoulders, and strangely attractive facial hair. Avians didn’t grow hair, and their headfeathers never sprouted beyond the base of their necks. 

“I’m glad to hear it,” the king answered, smiling softly. 

_ Pluck my life… How can he be even more attractive NOW? _ Red nearly groaned aloud as he wondered how he’d survive being mated to such a handsome creature. Self-doubt began to nibble at his stomach, reminding him that out of all the avians on his floating island home, he was considered one of the ugliest. Too pale, too blotchy, and far too spotted. Not to mention the fact that his red feathers seemed to mark him as a source of ridicule and shame, even beyond the social stigma of being an orphan. 

“Red, sweetie…” Leonard was suddenly leaning in close, their noses nearly touching. 

“I’m fine!” the avian insisted again, unconsciously slapping the human’s concerned hands away. His breath hitched in his throat at Leonard’s saddened response. “Sorry, I just… It’s rather loud here.” 

“Ah…” the king immediately brightened, his lips twitching into a smile. “I suppose the market can be a bit overwhelming at first. That’s okay. Those purple glasses look lovely on you.” He reached down, and picked up another pair. “How about these? They’re green.” 

Red’s wings snapped back up to his face, gripping the stems of the…  _ glasses  _ on his face. “No! I — I like these.” 

“Alright then. We’ll take them,” Leonard agreed, turning around to pay the shopkeeper. 

The avian let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He could keep them… He could KEEP them. A giddy smile threatened to overwhelm his lips, and he couldn’t quite contain it as he grabbed Leonard’s arm the moment he was finished paying. “I want to see those!” 

Leonard followed his pointing wingtip to the stall of leather-bound books across the street. “Alright then. Let’s go check it out.” 

* * *

_ (later that evening) _

“Why didn’t you tell me you were near-sighted?” Leonard asked, glancing at the avian sitting under the covers next to him in bed. 

Red glanced up from his book on medieval art. “What?” 

“I thought we’d come to trust each other…” Leonard trailed off with a sigh. 

Red’s brow furled in confusion. “What is… near-sighted?” 

“Oh! Sorry, dear. I was referring to the fact that you can’t see things clearly from a distance,” the king explained. 

“I didn’t realize there was a name for it. Everyone back on the floating island knew about it. It’s one of my…  _ flaws _ . Just another thing that makes me defective,” Red answered, his headfeathers drooping. 

A fierce anger rushed through Leonard, and he twisted around to cup his bride’s freckled cheeks. Golden eyes widened as he pulled the shorter man closer. 

“Leonard?”

“You are not defective,” Leonard insisted, in a slow, but confident tone. “Needing glasses doesn’t make you flawed. Being an orphan doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you.” 

“Leonard…” Red breathed out, his golden eyes glossy with unshed tears. 

“Being grouchy once in a while doesn’t make you a bad person. In fact…” Leonard leaned down to press a kiss to his queen’s lips. As he pulled away, he continued, “I think it’s one of your charms.” 

Red let out a loud, scoffing sound. “Being angry is NOT charming.” 

“Agree to disagree,” said Leonard, with an easy shrug. “Maybe I’m biased, but I think you’re pretty cute all the time.” 

The crimson-feathered avian blushed, his gaze darting away. “Leonard,” he groaned, his wingtips curling in his lap. 

“Sorry,” the king chuckled, guiding his lover’s face back toward him for another kiss.  _ Should I tell him that he’s even cuter when he’s flustered like this. It just makes me want to marry him all over again. _

“My book...” The avian squirmed against him, pushing him back gently. With nimble wingtips, the birdman slid the art book onto the side table next to the bed. Once the book was safely out of reach, Leonard wrapped his arms around his bride’s delightful hips, pulling him back against his chest. 

“Mmmm…”

* * *

**(the next day)**

“Leonard, you bought ALL of this?” 

“Of course.” 

“But… but I can’t fit this all in our bedroom,” Red protested, waving a wing at the boxes of books and art supplies that were in the middle of the parlor. 

“Put it wherever you want, then. We’re married. This is your castle as much as it is mine,” said Leonard, his hands perched on his hips.

“I… I…” The avian covered his face with his wings, his body trembling. Leonard was quick to step forward, reaching out to comfort his bride. 

“Leonard…” 

“Yes, my love?” Leonard leaned closer, staring down at the red feathers that were blocking his queen’s face from view. 

“You… You…” Red dropped his wings to his sides were the tips scrunched up into fists. A flurry of emotions crossed over his face so rapidly that the king had no hope of identifying them all. “You’re being too nice, you big dummy!” His wings darted up to catch the man’s cheeks, the feathers framing both their faces as Red pulled his lover close to press their lips together. 

Leonard’s concern flew out the window as his bride pulled him closer. Well, if that’s how things were going to be… The king set his hands on his lover’s waist, and hefted him into the air, twirling the smaller man around in the air. 

“Eeep! Leonard?” Red blinked back at him in shock as he was placed back on his feet. 

The king darted forward to press another quick kiss to the avian’s lips. “I’m never going to stop being nice. You’re my beautiful, avian queen, after all.” 

“Dummy,” Red grumbled again, but there was a smile at the corner of his lips as he returned his attention to the piles of stuff that his husband had decided to purchase. 

“We do have a lovely library in the castle, and it has giant bay windows that overlook the backyard. I could arrange for a space for you to set up an art studio,” Leonard suggested, setting a hand on his lover’s shoulder as he stepped closer to him. 

“That sounds… nice,” the birdman whispered, subconsciously leaning back against the taller man. 

“Good. I’ll have the staff move your things there,” Leonard hummed. “I have some work to do in my study, but I’ll see you at dinner, Red.” He gave his bride a final half hug, and then left the room, waving over his shoulder. The little bird gave him a tiny wave in return. 


End file.
